It is often necessary to track the location of an aircraft or other object in flight. This tracking may occur through use of a portable tracking system in a remote locale operated by a user who may not have undergone extensive training on using the tracking system. These tracking systems may utilize a directional antenna that transmits and receives a radio frequency signal in tracking the target. In other cases, open loop pointing techniques can be very effective for tracking a target if GPS location data is available for both the target and the antenna. However, such GPS is not available in some situations and is only intermittently available in other situations.
As such, a need exists for a tracking method that does not require a user to find north or boresight the antenna used in the tracking operation and allows the antenna to be setup and employed with minimal intervention, knowledge and training. A need also exists for a method capable of providing automated target acquisition. A further need exists for a method capable of providing the ability to switch between a pure radio frequency tracking mode and a hybrid tracking mode utilizing both radio frequency tracking and GPS-based open loop pointing, depending upon whether GPS data from the target is available.